Exercise Beats Fatigue, Boosts Energy
Forget about those energy drinks and your morning caffeine jolt.
"People are always looking for the next sports drink, energy bar or cup of coffee that will give them the extra edge to get through the day," said Tim Puetz, an university exercise expert. "But it may be that lacing up your tennis shoes and doing some physical activity every morning can provide that spark of energy."
And Puetz, a researcher in the University of Georgia's exercise psychology laboratory in Athens, Ga., says he has overwhelming evidence to prove it.
Health professionals encourage regular exercise to prevent or improve symptoms of diabetes, heart disease and obesity, but scientific evidence on whether exercise increases or reduces fatigue has never been reviewed until Puetz and his team analyzed 70 trials involving nearly 6,900 people.
More than 90 percent of the studies showed the same thing: sedentary people who completed a regular exercise program enjoyed lower fatigue, compared to groups that didn't exercise, according to the analysis.
Puetz, the research project's lead author, said every group in the study, from healthy adults to cancer patients to those with chronic diabetes and heart disease, benefited from exercise.
His findings back up previous studies, which have shown marked increases in the levels of energy-promoting and mood-enhancing neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin in the brains of animals that begin exercising regularly, he added.
In fact, exercise affects your fatigue level even more than prescription medicine, Puetz said, in November's Psychological Bulletin.
"A lot of times when people are fatigued, the last thing they want to do is exercise," said Patrick OConnor, the exercise lab's co-director. "But if you're physically inactive and fatigued, being just a bit more active will help."
Fatigue is different from drowsiness.
In general, drowsiness is feeling the need to sleep, while fatigue is a lack of energy and motivation. Drowsiness and apathy (a feeling of indifference or not caring about what happens) can be symptoms of fatigue.
Sources: University of Georgia
Reference: Psychology Bulletin
Lace up those running shoes!
Cheers,
Eve :-)
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